The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy released its Building our Industrial Strategygreen paper for the UK at the start of the year. It plans to boost the economy post-Brexit including by investing in science, research and innovation, developing skills and supporting businesses to start and grow.

Liam Booth-Smith, chief executive of Localis, said: “In the aftermath of triggering Article 50, the government’s industrial strategy has to address a political imperative of how the benefits of growth are fairly shared across the nation to reach these areas.”

Mark Hawthorne, chair of the Local Government Association’s people and places board, said: “We can only truly build a world-class economy if every local economy across the country is firing on all cylinders.

“For that to happen, all councils need greater freedom and funding from central government.”

Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network, said: “Devolving power and resources to counties at scale – rather than a heavy emphasis on the major cities and bureaucratic governance – will help rebalance the country and deliver on the government’s aims of its industrial strategy and higher regional productivity.”

Neil Clarke, chairman of the District Councils’ Network, said: "When it comes to devolution, we remain clear that one size does not fit all. It must be down to local areas to determine governance arrangements which reflect what local people and businesses want."

Business secretary Greg Clark said: “Local civic and business leaders will be central to ensuring the government’s vision of a country sharing in the prosperity of growth.”

Downing Street announced on Monday that Theresa May would trigger Article 50 – beginning the official process for leaving the European Union – on 29 March.

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